Direct
by SheIsKaraM
Summary: Instead of slowly replacing Sora's memories in C.O., Organization XIII just kidnapped him. Riku still makes it out of the darkness and teams up with Donald and Goofy to find him. A 'What if…' story (obviously). Also, no Roxas and Xion :( because I wouldn't be able to figure out how that would be resolved. Rating for mentions of torture/abuse. YE HAVE BEEN WARNED
1. Prologue: Kidnapped

**A/N: Hi guys! Welcome to _Direct_! As stated, this is a 'What if' story. My thought process started with a different 'What if', which was 'What if Sora got really sick and couldn't finish KH II, leaving Riku, Donald, and Goofy to save Kairi?'. Then it evolved from just the end to the entire time. Another thought hit around that same time. The Organization wanted Sora under their thumb, why didn't they just kidnap him and force him to submit? That train of though got very interesting, very fast. Then voila! Here's the story.**

 **Also, I'm new to the whole fanfic writing thing. This is my first real story outside of what I had to write for school. So if it sucks, I'm sorry. Tips and constructive criticism are welcome.**

 **This also has LOTS of Sora angst. The rating and genre come from what the Organization does to him, and it is not pretty. I won't tell what happens while they do it, but I will describe the end result. I don't know if this a trigger warning or not, but if it is, be careful.**

 **So without further ado, here is _Direct_.**

Prologue: Kidnapped

"We had just gotten to the second floor when one of the Organization's members appeared. They didn't even say a word, just grabbed him and left," Donald said.

He and Goofy had been searching the castle for Sora when they ran into Riku. They were wary of him at first, but he showed himself to be trustworthy.

"So you're saying they just up and took him, kidnapped him without explanation?" Riku asked.

"Yeah, it was really strange." Goofy replied.

"Well, we could probably find him faster if we work together. I know you're still suspicious of me, which I get, but you're gonna have to trust me. King Mickey trusts me and is working to get here. He believes that I can redeem myself and find my way back to the light. He'd probably want to help when he arrives."

"YOU'VE SEEN THE KING?!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed.

"Yes, and he is OK, you don't need to worry." Riku said.

"That is such a relief. Now, let's go find Sora," Goofy said.

"Yeah," Riku agreed.

They searched for days, weeks even, but found no sign of the brown-haired boy. They had just about given up when a light appeared in front of Riku. It grew brighter, nearly blinding the three. It eventually dimmed to reveal King Mickey in the flesh.

"Your Majesty!" Riku, Donald, Goofy exclaimed.

"Hiya fellas! I didn't expec-Woah!" Mickey started.

But the king couldn't finish his thought as Donald and Goofy had tackled him in two huge hugs.

"Haha, thank you for the warm welcome guys. But as I was saying, I wasn't expecting to see you three together. I'm happy that you found each other, but shouldn't there be four of you here?" Mickey questioned.

"Well, about that..." Riku started explaining why Sora wasn't there and that they're looking for him.

"I sure hope he's okay," Goofy bemoaned.

"I hope so too."

* * *

"Well, it looks like we're gonna have to try some harsher methods," a deep-voiced man in the Organization's coat said.

"I agree, but we don't want to injure too seriously, otherwise he won't be useful," another, blue-haired man with an x-shaped scar on his face, said.

"Do what you must. We need those hearts."

"Yes sir."

With that, the first man left the room through a dark corridor. It was a small room, with a raised cot underneath a window with bars in it, a toilet-sink combo in a corner, and a set of chains with cuffs attached to the wall. There were no apparent doors in this room, not that the resident of this room had the energy to look for one.

Sora stole a glance up at the two men as the one was leaving. Cuts and bruises littered his body, and he was exhausted. He knew the abuse would end when he gave in, but he also knew the damage that would be caused when he did. The Organization wanted the hearts from the heartless for Kingdom Hearts. What they were going to use it for, he didn't know. All Sora knew was that whatever they wanted with Kingdom Hearts, it wasn't good. He was scared and resisted as much as he could, but he was getting tired. He couldn't fight it much longer. They'd had him for weeks, with a three-hour torture session every morning and night. He knew he wouldn't last. All Sora could do was hope and pray that someone friendly would find him.

"Prepare yourself, boy. You may be able to resist now, but soon you will break," Saix, the blue-haired man, vowed.

Sora lowered his head and braced himself for the beating.

* * *

Riku, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy finally arrived at the top of Castle Oblivion. There had been no sign of Sora other than Kairi's charm that she gave him. Riku dismissed his Way to the Dawn.

"We've searched this entire castle, I don't think he's here," Riku said, tired.

"You may be right Riku, but can't give up on him," Goofy said, "He's smarter than you think. He'll find a way to contact us."

"I'm not sure Goofy," Riku replied, "Sora and I have known each other since birth. If he had a way of making contact, he would have used it by now."

"Don't get yourself down, we'll find him," Mickey tried, "So he's not here, now we can move on and search another place. He's out there somewhere, we just gotta look."

"Yeah. Then we should probably get going if we're gonna find him," Riku said, determined, "Sora needs us, we can't give up."

After a short rest, they set out to find their way back to the entrance. It took awhile, but managed to find it before evening. They then set off for other worlds in the Gummi Ship, after showing Riku around.


	2. Chapter 1: Yen Sid

**A/N: Before we get too far into this, I have to tell you something. I will be cutting out a bunch of stuff from the original game. It could range from a small conversation to an entire cutscene. What I cut out really depends on how well it flows and how long the chapter is. I want to keep worlds contained in one chapter each, but if there is a lot I have to put in for plot, I will split it up. That's how I first played the game, complete one world per sitting, then going to do something else. I won't take out anything that is hugely related to the plot, but some things will be moved around.**

 **And if you're wondering about twilight town, I'm adding it later. The first visit is mainly about Sora's waking. And since that doesn't happen here, I cut it.**

 **I will also be uploading chapters as they finish, so updates will be sporatic. I'm sorry if that annoys people, but that's just how I am. Once I finish something, it has to go up. Otherwise I'll forget.**

Chapter 1: Yen Sid

Their first stop was to see Master Yen Sid. They all had questions and needed a safe place to rest before really starting their journey. Riku also needed something new to wear, his clothes were a little small.

Their arrival met someone that no one was expecting. Pete: a cat that Mickey had banished from Disney Castle years ago for mischief. They found he was muttering to himself. The four listened and figured out what he'd been doing since his banishment. He'd aligned himself with Maleficent and sent a contingent of heartless into Yen Sid's tower to make the old wizard a heartless. He didn't notice the quartet's arrival until Riku spoke:

"Umm, why do you want to make him a heartless?"

Pete jumped and turned around. Once he saw Mickey, Pete ran away without a word. Riku was dumbfounded until Donald explained that there were worlds that Pete wasn't allowed to go to. If he did and was caught, he was to be imprisoned immediately.

They went in to find hundreds of heartless swarming the tower. This worried Riku, Donald, and Goofy, but Mickey was confident in the Master's ability to defend himself. They fought their way to the top to find Master Yen Sid safe in his chambers.

The Master welcomed the four and answered their questions. He then proceeded to tell them of their new enemies: "You see, when a heartless is born, the body and soul are left behind. This empty shell is called a nobody, for they do not really exist at all. If a person with a strong heart becomes a heartless, they retain their original shape and memories. These special nobodies, who are part of an entity called Organization XIII, are the people you fought in Castle Oblivion. And they are the one's that kidnapped Sora."

"Wait, does that mean you know where Sora is?" Riku interrupted.

"No. I cannot locate your friend. You will have to do that yourself. All I can say for certain is that they are not treating him well," Master Yen Sid answered.

"Oh. Ok," Riku sighed.

"But we have other things to discuss," Yen Sid continued, "Such as your clothing. All of you could do with some better traveling attire. Especially you, Riku."

"I guess," Riku said awkwardly. He really wished that he could just get the new stuff and be over with it.

"Then go," Yen Sid pointed to a door a few feet away, "The three good fairies will help you find more suitable attire."

The four bowed to Master Yen Sid before going through the door. On the other side, they found a large closet with many covered mirrors and a table. The three good fairies were standing by another door that led outside. They noticed the four and immediately pulled Riku forward.

"We're going to get you all ready for this new journey, don't you worry," Merryweather said.

They started casting their magic, changing Riku's clothes. Eventually they started fighting over what it should be. Riku's clothes were changed over and over and over, and the fairies kept arguing.

"Would you just decide, already!" Riku exclaimed when he'd finally had enough. It hurt when they casted their magic.

"Oh, sorry!" Fauna apologized.

"Alright dears, together now," Flora decided.

They cast their magic one final time. What emerged was an outfit that was sturdy but also allowed him to move. He now had baggy jeans with large pockets, a black sleeveless zip-up shirt, a yellow-and-off-white zip-up vest, and a pair of blue-and-white sneakers. Riku liked the outfit, it was comfortable but also protected him. Everyone else in the room was in awe.

"It looks great, Riku," Mickey commented.

Donald, Goofy, and the fairies quickly agreed.

"Thanks guys," Riku said, "Now it's your turn to get new clothes."

* * *

"I can't. There's too many."

"Yes, you can. You know what happens when you fail."

"Yes, sir."

Sora was exhausted. He had just fought over a thousand heartless by himself while the Organization XIII member supervising him, Luxord, just stood by and watched.

It had been that way for a while. Sora would fight, his escort would watch. No exceptions. If Sora didn't do a good enough job or went

out of line in any way, he would be punished. The severity of the beating depended on what he had done. Sora was thankful he hadn't had any of the really bad one's for awhile. The worst happened when he was first captured, when they were trying to break his will and make him cooperate. It had gotten better, the beatings got less and less severe and they eventually took him to other worlds. It was to slay heartless, but at least he got some fresh air. His room in The Castle that Never Was stank of blood, excrement (The toilet didn't work well), and sweat.

He, unfortunately, smelled the same, just to a lesser degree. They didn't let him bathe or do anything to care for himself. His hair was a mess, sticking everywhere un-spiked, full of dirt, grease, remnants of his hair gel, sweat, and blood. His clothes fared about the same. He barely fit in them, they were so small. They were also riddled with holes and stained with blood, sweat, and dirt. Sora had no idea why Organization XIII didn't just give him one of their cloaks. He'd have been able to move much better, which would mean they would get more hearts. But he had no such luck. He was lucky if someone remembered to give him food and water every morning and evening. Because of the Organization member's forgetfulness, he now had sunken in cheeks, extremely visible ribs, and his limbs were skin and bone.

Sora finished his assigned work a few hours later. Luxord looked over it while Sora rested. Sora savoured the moments while they checked his work, it gave him a break before they forced him back to his room and beat him for his 'unsatisfactory' work. Everything he did never seemed to satisfy. Saix, the second in command, gave Sora his assignments, he should know that Sora did everything asked of him. Yet they still beat him. It was probably just to keep him submissive.

"This will have to do," Luxord declared.

 _Yep, another beating tonight,_ Sora thought glumly.

"Come, you filthy boy, time for today's reward."

 _Please don't make it too horrible._

* * *

"This is much more comfortable," Goofy said.

"Those fairies sure did a good job," Mickey agreed.

"We should probably go back and talk to Master Yen Sid," Riku started, "It looked like he still had some things to discuss."

They left the closet and went back over to the Master. He sat there patiently waiting for the four. "I see the fairies did an excellent job with you. Now on to what is needed of you. Riku, I know you want to search for Sora, but you can do that while performing the task I ask of you," Master Yen Sid said.

"What is it you want me to do?" Riku asked.

"What Sora had done on his previous journey: travel the worlds and ensure that they're safe. You will encounter Organization XIII on your travels, maybe even Sora himself. Be wary of them, even if Sora is there, they will not hesitate to hurt you. That is the reason that I ask Donald and Goofy go with you," Yen Sid answered.

"What about the King?" Donald asked.

"I am giving him on a different task. Do not fear for him, for he can care for himself. Now all of you should rest a while before starting your travels. They will be long journeys, and you will need all the rest you can spare. There are rooms downstairs to sleep in. Mickey can show you where," Yen Sid finished.

"Yes, sir. Come on fellas, let's get some rest," Mickey said. They left the room and found the bedrooms. There they slept for the night.


	3. Chapter 2: Hollow Bastion

**A/N: Sorry about the two chapter 1's. I have no idea how to fix that.**

 **I also have no idea how to write combat. If anyone has tips, please let me know.**

 **But anyway, enjoy today's THIRD update.**

Chapter 2: Hollow Bastion

The next morning Riku, Donald, and Goofy set out in the Gummi Ship. King Mickey stayed behind to receive his task from the Master. Saying farewell to the King was hard for Donald and Goofy but they managed to say goodbye. The trio's first stop was Hollow Bastion.

"I hope Leon and the others are ok," Goofy started.

"Who?" Riku asked.

"You'll meet them soon enough," Donald replied.

They landed a few days later near the marketplace. Riku looked around somewhat confused. He saw this placed before but it was different, lighter, less heartless. He also remembered there being more destruction of the town.

"I thought this place was supposed to be destroyed," Riku thought aloud.

"Yeah, we really made progress in the reconstruction efforts!" A young, feminine voice behind them proclaimed.

The trio jumped a foot a turned around. They found a young woman with short black hair, black headband, a black-and-white patterned shirt and hooded black vest, gray-brown shorts, and gray-brown knee-high shoes with black socks. She had a large throwing star.

"Yuffie!" Donald and Goofy shouted.

"Hi guys! Who's this?" Yuffie asked.

"This is Riku, he's Sora's friend." Goofy replied.

"Oh. Well, welcome Riku."

Just then a horde of heartless appeared. All four readied themselves. Riku slashed at the nearest heartless while Goofy bashed his shield at another. Donald cast thundaga and Yuffie threw her star. Riku ran forward and dispatched two more heartless. Yuffie got her throwing star back but got hit by a fire blast form a red opera. Donald gave her a potion and blast blizzard at another heartless. Goofy finished the last one with a thrown shield.

"We should get back to Merlin's house," Yuffie suggested.

The others agreed and they all headed through the borough to Merlin's house. It was a relatively small house with a wooden door and built with large stones. Inside there were wood floors and two main areas: Merlin's and the Restoration Committee's. Merlin's had a bed, a dresser, a brick up-crop with a cauldron on top, and multiple book cases with books strewn everywhere. The Committee's had a larges computer and many chalk boards and papers pinned up on the walls with plans scribbled and illustrated on. Once there, Donald and Goofy greeted the rest of the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee: Leon, Aerith, Cid, and Merlin.

"Who's the new kid?" Leon questioned.

"I'm Riku, Sora's friend," Riku answered.

"So you're the one he went back for."

"Yeah."

"So where is he?" Aerith asked.

"We don't exactly know," Goofy replied.

"'Don't exactly know'?" Leon repeated.

"Have you ever heard of Organization XIII?" Riku countered.

"No. Why?" Leon asked, confused.

"Because they kidnapped Sora six months ago. We've been looking for him ever since," Riku explained.

"We'll help the best we can, but we still have problems to fix here," Aerith said.

"Like heartless and nobodies?" Donald asked.

"Right. We were hoping to get help from you two," Leon Gestured to Donald and Goofy, "and Sora. We weren't expecting to hear that he'd been kidnapped," Leon said.

"Then what am I, chopped liver?" Riku asked angrily, crossing his arms.

"Can you do the same things Sora can?"

"Yeah," Riku replied with the same annoyed tone while holding his hand out and summoned Way to the Dawn.

"Huh. So the keyblade gave you a second chance. Fine then. Follow me to the bailey, I'll show why we need your help," Leon finished.

As the trio were going to follow, Merlin reminded Aerith to give Riku, Donald, and Goofy their Honorary Committee Membership cards.

"We were expecting Sora, but you can have his card," Aerith apologized.

"That's ok," Riku replied.

"Come on Riku, we need to get going," Donald yelled from the door.

Riku followed Donald and Goofy through a different part of the borough into the bailey where they saw Leon facing an overlook of some sort. He seemed to be looking at something. The trio approached the low wall, looked over, and gasped at what they saw. They saw millions of heartless filling the lower, undeveloped parts of Hollow Bastion.

"That is what we need help with," Leon said, "As well as that."

Riku, Donald, and Goofy followed Leon's finger as it moved to a different area. Leon stopped when his finger landed on two nobodies walking.

"We just can't deal with this many of them. If there were less, we'd probably be able to handle it," Leon explained.

"The heartless are being controlled by a guy named Pete. But don't worry about him, he can barely tie his shoes. The ones we need to worry about are the nobodies," Riku started

"You called?" A low voice asked, startling the four from their thoughts.

Just then, six people dressed in black coast appeared on top of one of the buildings.

"Organization XIII!" Goofy cried.

"Good! Now you can tell me what you're doing with Sora!" Riku exclaimed.

"What a pity," The same voice said, "And here I thought we could be friends."

"Not when you're holding my best friend hostage!"

Just as quickly as they came, the six nobodies left, cackling.

"That was strange," Donald commented.

"It's like they're taunting us," Riku stated, "They know where Sora is and so help me I will take one of them beat the answer out him."

"Riku, calm down," Goofy said, "Take a deep breath."

Riku sighed and pulled out the membership card from Aerith.

"'Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee Honorary Member'," Riku said.

All of the sudden, the card started glowing and floating in the air. The four stared as it went up and up.

"What's going on?" Leon asked.

"Do ya think?" Goofy said.

Riku nodded and raise his keyblade. Light flashed all around him as he and the card were transported to a strange place. A beam of light shot out of the card, creating a keyhole. Riku raised his keyblade as a beam shot out from it, unlocking said keyhole. The light died down and he was back at the bailey with Donald, Goofy, and Leon.

"I guess this means you're leaving?" Leon asked.

"Yeah, there are other worlds to help. We'll come back and help you though, promise," Riku vowed.

"Ok. See you later."

"Later!" Goofy said.

"Bye Leon!" Donald waved.


	4. Chapter 3: The Land of Dragons

**Longest chapter yet. I really hope that all of them won't be this long. I'll probably split up some of the Hollow Bastions and definitely the World that Never Was. It'll be clear if they're split or not.**

 **On another note, do any of you know a good Kingdom Hearts beta? I read and re-read all my work, but mistakes still slip past. I don't want to show it to my family because they've never played Kingdom Hearts and I don't want to force them so that they'll understand. Plus I should be working on other things right now, like college applications.**

 **And since I forgot about this in the first three entries: I do not own Kingdom Hearts nor claim to. All rights belong to Square Enix.**

Chapter 3: The Land of Dragons

A fire ravaged a small village. Looking at his destruction with pleasure was Shan-Yu, leader of the Hun army.

In a small overlook, hidden from the sinister man, a young soldier watched the carnage unfold.

"This is it girl," a shadow figure on a rock said, "That's Shan-Yu, leader of the Hun army. You take him out, they'll be singing your praises for generations!"

"But I haven't even joined the army yet, Mushu," the soldier replied, his voice surprisingly feminine, "I have to take my father's place in order to preserve the Fa family honor."

Riku, Donald, and Goofy walked by, having just landed. They tried to put down in a concealed place so as to not raise suspicion. Unfortunately, that meant they were a ways away from any sort of town or village.

When the three saw the figure talking to the soldier, they thought he was a heartless.

"Get the jump on him?" Riku suggested.

"Yeah," Donald agreed.

With that, the trio jumped from their hiding place and went after the figure. As they were running, both the figure and soldier screamed while the shadowy image disappeared. Instead, a small, red dragon jumped out from behind the rocks and jumped onto the soldier.

Riku, Donald, and Goofy stopped in their tracks, confused. _Wasn't that supposed to be a heartless?_ The three thought. As they stood confused, the dragon spoke up.

"I'm Mushu! Little, lethal, and legendary! Now go before I burn you all to crisps!"

"Hi Mushu! It's been a while, we missed ya," Donald said.

"You better hope I miss, 'cause otherwise you're...you're...Donald, Goofy, and a new guy!" Mushu exclaimed.

"Wait, do you know them?" the soldier asked.

"Two out of the three," Mushu answered walking towards the trio, "We used kick all kinds of but together. Am I right?"

"Yeah. Mushu was a great help," Goofy replied.

"Wait, who are you?" Riku asked.

"I could say the same about you. And shouldn't Sora be with you two?" Mushu countered, pointing at Donald and Goofy.

"My name is Riku. As for Sora, he's been kidnapped and were trying to find him," Riku explained.

"Oh no. Mushu and I will help in whatever ways we can. My name is Mula-Ping! My name is Ping," The soldier, Ping, replied, trying to a more 'manly' voice.

"It's good to meet you, Ping," Goofy replied.

"We were just headed over to the training camp to join the Imperial Army, would you join us? It'll be much easier to fit in if I'm with guys like you," Ping said.

"Fit in?" Donald questioned.

Riku eyed Ping skeptically. "You're a girl, aren't you?" He said, coming to his conclusion.

"WHAT!?" Donald and Goofy yelled, surprised.

Ping held her hands to her chest, dropping the fake 'man voice'. "You didn't notice?"

"Nope."

"I think it's working."

"I don't know. Those two could fall for anything," Mushu said.

"Hey," Donald said angrily.

After their greetings, the five headed out to the training camp, Donald and Goofy still getting over the fact that Ping has successively tricked them.

* * *

Sora was lying on the cot in his room, having recently gotten back from an assignment. His escort that day, Xigbar, had just finished giving him the punishment for another 'unsatisfactory' job. Sora had a large bruise forming on his right cheek as well as lashes on his left side.

He tried adjusting himself to get more comfortable, but that just sent pain shooting across his torso. He groaned. _Trying to sleep while injured is not easy,_ Sora though, _at least Donald had the sense to try and fix some of it before sending me to bed._ He just wished it would be over, that someone would find him and take him home. A dark corridor appeared in his room.

"Here's your food," the Organization member, Demyx by the sound of his voice, said, "Get up and eat it, 'cause I'm not leaving until you're done."

Sora kind of liked Demyx, he didn't push too hard and made sure Sora ate. He took his time inspecting Sora's work, which in turn gave more time for the boy to rest. Demyx was still brutal in his own right, but was more laid-back than the others. They probably would have been friends if Demyx wasn't with the Organization.

Sora slowly got up from the cot, wincing and trying to ignore the pain. He looked at what Demyx brought him; water, stale bread, and an apple. It was more than Sora was expecting.

"Come on, eat!" Demyx demanded, obviously getting impatient.

Sora did as he was told, finishing the food within five minutes. Demyx left when Sora was done, leaving the boy to his thoughts again. _If only I were paired with Demyx more often,_ Sora though, going back to his cot, _Then_ _I might be able to survive this._

* * *

Riku, Mulan, and the others arrived at the camp at what seemed to be lunchtime. They were hungry and were going to get in line when a horde of heartless appeared.

"What are they?" Ping asked.

"Heartless. Be ready," Riku replied.

They fought the heartless, easily dispatching all of them. The Captain, Lee Shang, came out to see what all the ruckus was. When he found nothing, he sent everyone back to their business. Riku, Donald, Goofy, Ping, and Mushu were about to leave for a small village in the mountains when Shang stopped them.

"Where do you think you're going?" He demanded.

"We are going to the mountain village to check for the Huns," Ping answered, nervous.

"No one is going anywhere until the road is cleared," Shang ordered, "Unless you four want to be the ones to clear the road?"

"Yes, sir," Donald volunteered.

"Very well then. Report back when you are finished."

"Yes, sir!" the four chorused.

* * *

The five finished clearing the roads a few hours later, making it to the village just after nightfall.

"I guess we're sleeping here," Goofy stated.

"We can report back in the morning," Riku agreed, yawning.

"Then I guess we better settle down," Ping said, laying out her sleeping bag.

They slept just outside the village walls, keeping watch for Huns in shifts through the night.

* * *

The five reported back to Shang later that morning. He then ordered all troops to the village and keep watch on it.

Upon arrival, Riku thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you think it might have been Shan-Yu?" Ping asked.

"I don't know, but we better find out," Riku replied.

So the five followed Riku into a cave, not knowing it was a trap. Out of nowhere, two large heartless appeared, blocking their escape.

"Well that's just perfect," Riku deadpanned.

They all took up their fighting stances and started beating the crap out of the heartless.

* * *

After making their way out of the cave, the five found the village burnt to the ground with Captain Shang sitting on the ground nursing a wound on his side. At the sight of Riku, Donald, Goofy, Ping, and Mushu, he tried to get up, but his wounds wouldn't allow.

"Don't move, you're hurt," Riku tried.

"No, it's just a scratch," Shang protested.

"Who did this Captain?" Goofy asked.

"Shan-Yu."

"Then we'll go after him while you get the villagers to safety," Riku suggested.

"Alright, go," Shang ordered.

The five left and went after the Hun leader, chasing him to the ridge. Just then, Ling, Chim-Po, and Yao arrived with a rocket. They aimed it at Shan-Yu only for Ping to grab and aim it at the snow covered mountainside. She was searching for a flint to light it when her eyes landed on Mushu. The dragon protested before she grabbed him and used him to light the rocket. He jumped on to the rocket as it blasted off, heading toward the mountainside. It impacted with a small "poof" before thousands of feet of snow fell of and caused an avalanche, covering the ridge.

Shan-Yu turned back to look at what the sound was only to be greeted by thousands of pounds of snow hurting toward him at over 200 miles per hour. He tried to run but was swallowed by the snow. Riku, Ping, and the other soldiers ran behind a large rock, safe from the snow.

"Thank you, Ping," Shang said, "From now on, you have my trust."

Ping bowed respectfully. Mushu then came back from the snow, tired and complaining. Loudly.

"First a lighter, then a cannon ball. The head ancestor's gonna hear about this," Mushu went on, "Come on girl, let's just quit the act and go home."

"Mushu!" Ping whisper-shouted.

"A woman!" Shang said, and turned to Riku, Donald, and Goofy, "Did you know of this?"

The trio nodded their heads.

"I should have you all executed," Shang continued, "But a life for a life, my debt is repaid. Go, before I change my mind."

With that, he took the troops he had left and headed to the Imperial City. Mushu watched them go, guilt in his eyes. Ping went behind a rock to change. Riku, Donald, and Goofy sat in a circle and waited.

"Sorry for getting you in trouble," Ping, or Mulan, which is her real name, said.

"It's okay, P-Mulan," Riku said, "We were in on the secret. He had no choice."

Just then a large cry rang through the mountains. It wasn't a sad or lonely cry. No, it was angry. A battle cry.

The five looked over the ridge to see Shan-Yu, alive and well, summon more heartless and head toward the Imperial City.

"Oh no, the city! We have to warn Shang," Mulan said, running down the mountain.

"But he doesn't trust us anymore," Riku reminded her.

"I doesn't matter, people are in danger," Mulan replied

They set off running to the Imperial City after that.

* * *

They arrived at the palace early evening. Planned festivities were just beginning to start.

"Shang," Mulan yelled, grabbing the Captain's attention.

"You shouldn't be here," Shang replied, "Go home."

"But Shan-Yu is here, in the city. The Emperor is in danger."

"Go home, Mulan."

Just then a falcon screeched overhead, landing on a figure on a rooftop. The figure stood, revealing himself to be Shan-Yu. He jumped down the backside of the roof, heading for the emperor.

Shang made to go after him, but heartless blocked his way. Mulan, Riku, Donald, and Goofy ran in front, telling Shang to go for the emperor. Shang nodded and ran towards the stairs.

* * *

They made quick work of the heartless and ran up to meet Shang. They found Shan-Yu holding the emperor with a sword to his throat. Shang then sprang up and knocked Shan-Yu back, taking the emperor inside while Chim-Po and Ling closed the doors behind them.

Shan-Yu got up and ran towards the doors, but the quartet was faster. They blocked Shan-Yu from getting inside and took their stances. Shan-Yu laughed and glowed a moment before charging.

He went for Mulan first, bringing his blade down on top of her, but she was too fast. Her blade met his as they made a loud, metallic clang. Riku struck at his back while Donald and Goofy took his sides. Shan-Yu turned, swiping his blade in a slicing motion, intended to decapitate Riku. Riku jumped back and cast blizzard, freezing Shan-Yu. They then turned towards the heartless that Shan-Yu summoned to break the door, dispatching all of them easily. Shan-Yu, now thawed, pounced on Donald, but Riku blocked his attack and Donald cast thunder.

They fought like that for a little while longer before Shan-Yu fell to the ground, dead. The emperor came back out along with Shang and the other soldiers once it was safe. Mulan, Riku, Donald, and Goofy stood before him. He called Mulan, who stood closer and bowed.

"Fa Mulan, you stole your father's armour, and ran away from home. Impersonated an imperial soldier, deceived your commanding officer, shamed the entire Chinese army, and dishonored your family's name. You are a young woman. And you have saved us all," the Emperor said, bowing before Mulan.

She stood straight, confused. The crowd started cheering, assuring her that she did the right thing. She turned to Riku, Donald, and Goofy, who shared her excitement.

At the prompting of the emperor, Shang pulled Shan-Yu's sword, giving it to Mulan. The emperor said that it was so the world would know what she did for China. Shang thanked the four.

"Just a 'thank you'?" the Emperor said, "You're going to have to be more eloquent than that if you're going to win the heart of China's bravest woman."

Shang was flustered by his words and everyone started laughing, including the emperor.

Just then, the sword started glowing and floated upwards. Riku raised his keyblade. Light flashed all around him as he and the sword were transported to a strange place. A beam of light shot out of the sword, creating a keyhole. Riku raised his keyblade as a beam shot out from it, unlocking the keyhole. The light died down and he was back on the steps to the palace with the emperor, Shang, Mulan, Donald, and Goofy.

"Time to be moving on, I guess," Goofy said.

"You shall be missed," the Emperor said.

"You should come back and visit," Mulan said.

"We look forward to your return," Shang said.

"Thank you. Play nice, okay?" Riku said, smirking slightly.

"Watch it now, soldier," Shang said, as he and Mulan looked around a little flustered.

"Goodbye," Mulan said as Riku, Donald, and Goofy walked away, heading back to the gummi ship.


	5. Chapter 4: Beast's Castle

**Finally, another chapter. So, yeah, I cut out a bunch of stuff like I said. I also forgot to mention that I will not be doing Atlantica for this. I just cannot see Riku lifting Ariel's spirits up when he himslef is just a big ball of self-loathing. Seriously. Sora and Kairi are the only people who can make him truly smile. So how can a person how frowns all the time happily sing and swim-dance-whatever-it-is to lift another person's spirit? They can't.**

 **We also get a little surprise in this chapter, so tell me what you think. Riku also decided to hop on the sad train in the beginning of this chapter. So glad he got off after meeting Belle.**

 **Still looking for a beta. Please, if anyone knows a good one, message me? Please? It helps how how much you care!**

Chapter 4: Beast's Castle

Riku, Donald, and Goofy walked into a large house. _Castle better describes this place_ , Riku thought to himself, _Though it's very dark. Not what I imagined a castle to look like. Hmph, like I'm one to talk. Hollow Bastion anyone?_

"I wonder who lives here," Goofy wondered aloud, snapping Riku from his thoughts.

"You mean you haven't been here before?" Riku asked.

"No. We've never seen this place before," Donald confirmed.

Right then a loud roar ripped through the castle, shaking the entire structure. Riku, Donald, and Goofy stopped in their tracks. They couldn't do anything when the floor was shaking.

"That roar sounded familiar," Goofy said.

"Yeah, it did," Donald mused, "The Beast! That sounded like the Beast!"

"The Beast?" Riku questioned. Another roar sounded through the castle.

"Definitely the Beast," Donald confirmed, "Let's go see how he's doing."

Donald and Goofy started walking but Riku hung back. It wasn't long before the magician turned to find Riku wasn't following. Riku just stood by the door fidgeting. He looked incredibly nervous.

"Are you coming?" Donald asked, stopping Goofy.

"No, you guys go," Riku answered, "I don't think he would want to see me. I kidnapped Belle, remember?"

"Right. Then now is a good time to make amends," Goofy offered, "There's a lot of people you need to apologize to, and we will be seeing many of them in our journey. Now's as good a time start as any."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked weakly.

"Yep. Positive," Donald affirmed.

"Ok," Riku agreed.

The trio started walking again when a heartless appeared and went into some sort of sitting room. The three looked at each other and ran in.

The room turned out to be a parlor. It was filled with heartless, but they were no match for Riku, Donald, and Goofy, who dispatched them easily. In the corner there was a rose floating in a sort of glass case. It was beautiful.

The door to the parlor opened, revealing the large body that is the Beast. He walked into the room, smacking Riku, Donald, and Goofy out of the way. He grabbed the rose and walked back out of the room. Riku started getting up after he left, rubbing the side of his where the Beast hit him.

"I told you he wouldn't want to see me," Riku said.

"Don't be like that," Goofy comforted.

"Something's wrong," Donald said, thinking, "Beast wouldn't do that to people he knows."

"But he does know me, we talked. I refused to give Belle back to him," Riku reminded them.

"Then why did he hit us? We helped him get Belle back," Donald said.

"We should go talk to Belle, she can tell us what's wrong," Goofy suggested.

They got up and left the parlor, headed up the east wing to Belle's room. They encountered more heartless along the way, but they stood about the same chance as the others.

The trio fought through heartless all the way to Belle's room. _There sure are a lot of heartless here_ , all three thought. They knocked on the door. It was opened by a beautiful young woman with brown hair and a blue dress with a white apron. She recognized the three at her door, but adopted a suspicious look when she spotted Riku. Riku looked down, nervous. Donald noticed the silent exchange.

"Don't worry, Belle. He's not gonna hurt you. He actually wishes to apologize for what happened," Donald told her.

"You do?" Belle questioned, still suspicious.

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry for I did to you. It's inexcusable, I know, but please, give me another chance. The keyblade did," Riku said.

"Hmm, I'll think about it."

"Belle, do you know what's going on? We saw the Beast but he ignored us," Goofy asked.

 _More like hit us and left_ , Donald thought, a little bitterly.

"He has been acting strange," Belle explained, "He locked all the servants in the dungeon and told me not to come out."

"Hmm, would you mind if we looked into it?" Donald offered.

Belle seemed to consider it, but kept glancing wearily at Riku. Donald and Goofy assured her that he was trustworthy. She trusted the captain and magician and consented, telling them the way to the dungeons.

"Don't worry Belle, we'll figure this out," Riku assured her.

* * *

It took the trio a good two hours to fight their way through the heartless and open the dungeon. What, or rather, _who_ , they found was not what anyone was expecting. There was stuff in the dungeon, not people, or so they thought. Riku, Donald, and Goofy started hearing voices in the dungeon but could not find where they were coming from. They were surprised to find the voices coming from the objects. The objects were the servants! One, Lumière was his name, was a candelabra. Another, Cogsworth, was a small clock. Two others, Mrs. Potts and her son Chip, were a teapot and teacup, respectively. They all introduced themselves after finding each other to be friendly.

"How did you end up like this?" Riku asked.

"It was an enchantress," Lumière explained, "She saw our master was a selfish young prince and placed a curse on all of us."

"If he can find love and that person loves him in return, the spell will break," Mrs. Potts continued.

"But, he has to do it before the last petal on the enchanted rose falls," Cogsworth finished, "On his 21st birthday."

"So that's why he's so protective of it. That makes sense," Riku mused.

"You've seen him?" Chip asked.

"Yeah, but he was acting strange," Donald said.

"Hmm, we should go talk to him and figure this out," Cogsworth suggested.

"Yeah, let's go," Goofy said.

* * *

A figure in a black coat was standing in a corner of Beast's room, Sora just behind him. The figure and Beast were talking. Sora listened and did his best not to disturb them. It was hard for him though, Beast was Sora's friend and the figure was putting lies in his head.

When Sora and his escort first arrived, Beast made to rescue the boy, but the escort blocked him. Beast noticed how skinny Sora was but was quite surprised at the boy's behaviour. He didn't fight his captor. But the main thing that caught Beast's attention was how lifeless Sora was. No sparkle in his eye, no spring in his step. Whatever they had done to Sora, Beast did not like the results.

Sora fought heartless while Beast and the figure talked. Now that he was finished, Sora stood in the corner listening. He kept his head down to avoid making eye contact with Beast. Sora knew that when eye contact was made, he wouldn't be able to contain himself.

"Belle wants to take everything from you," the figure said, "Rid yourself of her before she succeeds. Feed your anger, it will make you strong."

"I've had enough of strength. It's something else that I want," Beast replied.

"What? To love and be loved in return? I do not think it possible, for who could love a beast?"

Sora bristled at his escort's words while Beast roared at him. Riku, Donald, and Goofy appeared at the doorway. Sora saw them but made no move. Riku spotted his best friend but couldn't do anything as the figure blocked his way.

"See? She has accomplices," the figure said before grabbing Sora and disappearing into a dark corridor.

Riku watched as they left, eyes saddening before his attention was brought back to the angry Beast before him.

* * *

Sora sobbed on his cot in The Castle that Never Was. No new injuries were to be found on him, but that wasn't what he was crying about. He saw his friends, he saw Riku, but no one did anything. He had a chance of rescue, of escape, but no one acted. He fell asleep like that, just wanting to lay there in that smelly room for the rest of eternity.

* * *

The fight finished and Beast seemed to come back to his senses. He asked what happened and Donald told him he locked everyone in the dungeon when Cogsworth seemed to have a hard time saying it.

"I did?" Beast asked.

"You did. But if I may ask, who was that you were talking to?" Cogsworth replied.

"Xaldin, he did this. He used my anger to control me. Took all my pain, my sadness, and turned it into rage," Beast explained.

"That must be why you locked everyone up in the dungeon, to protect them," Goofy said.

"Really? Was that it?"

"Of course! Everyone can see the goodness in you, even Belle. Though, uh, you have yet to…" Cogsworth started.

"Belle! I've mistreated her. I've hurt her. She'd never say anything because she's too good, too pure," Beast said, as he looked down in despair.

"He judges himself far too harshly," Cogsworth whispered to the trio.

"Why not just go and talk to her? She'll listen. Come on. I bet if you explain what happened, she'll understand," Donald offered.

But Riku didn't hear any of the conversation, he was hopelessly lost in thought. He just couldn't get the image of Sora out of his mind. His friend looked so small, so skinny, that Riku barely recognized him. It was only because of the tattered clothes that Riku figured out that it was Sora he was looking at. Riku was both saddened and angered when he saw his friend. Along with the ripped clothing and under-nourishment, he could also see cuts, bruises, and a layer of dirt and sweat caked all over the boy's body. Not to mention he could faintly smell some kind of odor from across the room. What startled Riku the most about Sora was the dull nature to his eyes. Normally, Sora's eyes were bright and cheerful, but that brightness was gone. And it didn't stop there. His entire demeanor was muted. _Submissive_ , Riku realized, _And w_ _ith the way his body looked, they probably beat and starved him into it._ _ **They will pay for what they've done to him**_.

Riku was jarred out of his thoughts when Donald yelled at him to get moving. Where they were going, he had no idea. He'd figure it out along the way.

They found Belle about five minutes later in the ballroom running away from something. She assured the others that she was alright but ran out to the balcony and shut the door. What was chasing her appeared out of the floor. It appeared to be some sort of heartless, an animal type thing with chains on its wrists and ankles. It roared at them, then seemingly melted into the floor and covered the entire room with black. It appeared again, and the four warriors lunged to attack.

* * *

It took longer than the four thought it would be to defeat the heartless, but they managed. The room cleared of the darkness when the heartless disappeared. They let out a victorious cheer, but was interrupted by Xaldin. He disappeared before anyone could do anything.

"What does he want here?" Beast mused.

"He's with Organization XIII. They control the nobodies, what's left of a person when they become a heartless. They must have wanted to make you a heartless to gain control of your nobody, it definitely would have been a powerful one," Riku explained.

"What about Sora? He was with Xaldin."

"They kidnapped him. The ability to wield a keyblade comes from the heart, therefore nobodies can't use them. Organization XIII is collecting hearts, but we don't know why."

"You're alright!" Belle exclaimed from the balcony door. She walked farther into the room.

"Belle," Beast said excitedly, running over to her, "Belle, I-I'm sorry, I wasn't myself. I hope I didn't hurt you. Please, forgive me."

Belle smiled and shook her head. "I know that. There's no need to apologize. But had hoped you changed at least a little. I wish you would just trust me."

Beast looked down dejected while Belle crossed her arms and looked away, an angry look to her face.

"Oh no, time may be running short," Lumière whispered a little panicked.

"How so?" Donald whispered back.

"Remember the rose? Love and be loved in return before the last petal falls," Cogsworth reminded them.

"Right. Do you think they'll make it?" Goofy asked.

"We believe so," Mrs. Potts happily affirmed.

Just then, Riku's keyblade appeared in his hand. Elsewhere in the castle, the rose started floating upwards. Riku raised his keyblade. Light flashed all around him as he and the rose were transported to a strange place. A beam of light shot out of the rose, creating a keyhole. Riku raised his keyblade as a beam shot out from it, unlocking said keyhole. The light died down and he was back in the ballroom with Donald, Goofy, Beast, and Belle.

"What just happened?" Beast asked.

"The gate's been opened, time to move on," Donald exclaimed.

"Do you have to go?" Belle asked, sounding a little sad.

"Unfortunately," Riku said.

"No more arguing, ok?" Goofy teased.

Beast and Belle looked at each other then away, embarrassed.

"We'll see to it. And take care," Mrs. Potts said.

"You are welcome here anytime," Cogsworth offered.

"Thank you. Please, if you hear anything, the heartless, nobodies, Organization XIII,...Sora, anything at all, please, tell us," Riku asked.

Belle, Beast, and the servants all nodded.

"Thank you. Take care," Riku ended,

Riku, Donald, and Goofy then left the castle and headed to the Gummi ship hidden in the surrounding woods. _I can't believe we actually saw him_ , Riku thought to himself, _We better be able to rescue him soon_.


End file.
